Saylorsburg Islamic center prepares for protest

Concerns about traffic, trespassing

A protest today in Saylorsburg targeting a controversial Turkish cleric could bring hundreds to a busy street, block traffic and encroach on private property, representatives of the Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center said Friday.

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By JENNA EBERSOLE

poconorecord.com

By JENNA EBERSOLE

Posted Jul. 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By JENNA EBERSOLE
Posted Jul. 13, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

A protest today in Saylorsburg targeting a controversial Turkish cleric could bring hundreds to a busy street, block traffic and encroach on private property, representatives of the Golden Generation Worship and Retreat Center said Friday.

The site is home to Fethullah Gülen, who rents a room in one of 10 buildings at the center.

Gülen is a polarizing figure in Turkey who some accuse of trying to turn the country into an Islamic regime. He has lived at the Saylorsburg compound for more than a decade and, his supporters said, has seen no trouble before now.

The president of the center, Bekir Aksoy, and Alliance for Shared Values President Alp Aslandogan said officials are unsure of what will happen at the 1 p.m. protest but plan to post individuals at the center's entrance, along with "no trespassing" signs to demarcate the property line, adjacent to Mount Eaton Road.

State police in Lehighton said there will be enough troopers available to handle the situation.

Adam Reed, spokesman for the state police in Harrisburg, said his office received general information about the protest.

Reed said the local barracks will be on notice and monitoring the events.

"A religious protest isn't something we encounter quite often," he said, adding that responding to complaints about trespassing or blocking the road will be a priority.

"It's our goal to make sure everything runs peacefully and there are no problems," he said. "People certainly have the right to gather and express their beliefs, as long as it's respecting the wishes of the private property owners there and staying clear of the roadways."

During a tour Friday of the center's quiet 25 acres, Aslandogan reiterated that Gülen is a peaceful figure who came to the center originally because of ailing health.

Although the grounds are host to extensive landscaping and a quiet pond, Gülen himself gets out for fresh air only rarely.

Although Americans are unfamiliar with him, Gülen is one of the most well-known figures in Turkey, his supporters said.

The closest comparison for Americans, they said, could be to Martin Luther King Jr. or Billy Graham.

Like King, Gülen is a preacher who took a controversial stand on social issues, Aslandogan said. The Graham comparison, meanwhile, has to do with the large crowds Gülen could draw if he spoke in public in Turkey.

The center hosts mainly Turkish Muslims but is beginning to see second-generation Turkish-Americans and one day hopes to bring in more Muslims of other origins as well, Aksoy said.

He said the center gets along well with its Poconos neighbors.

"We don't want to bother anyone and we don't want anyone to bother us," he said.

The center hosts an interfaith Thanksgiving dinner each year that brings in the community.

The Rev. C. Frank Terhune of Plainfield Township's St. Peter's Lutheran Church said he has never met Gülen but has had wonderful experiences with his followers.

"My experience has been positive. They've been very open," Terhune said.